All They Ever Wanted
by believeindreamers
Summary: For those of you who liked Moony Forever & Forgiveness, this is the sequel. It'll be a series, and the sequel, 'Second Chances,' will be posted ASAP.
1. Default Chapter Title

This is the sequel to Moony Forever. I didn't mean to do this, but I just couldn't help myself. Sorry. By the way, Remus Lupin is narrating. P.S. I thank Blaise, WeasleyTwin2, and Kate S. for my inspiration.  
  
  
  
"Drat," I mumbled as I watched the great tawny owl settle in my chair. It hooted loudly, and I walked over to it, grinning.  
  
"Wonder what Harry did now," I said to the owl. The owl was Snape's, and I had recognized it instantly. Lately, since he'd forgiven me and Harry (and vice versa), he'd gotten into the habit of sending me reports of Harry's misdeeds. I could definitely see a lot of James in Harry, and his mischievous tendencies were equal to those of his father. His friends too, were good in the mischief-making department, and I was beginning to wonder if the trio was going to break mine and Sirius's record for the most detentions (James had always managed to talk his way out of trouble, and would've done the same for me and Sirius, but we were going for a record, and we got our wish). I opened the letter and began to read Snape's evenly spaced handwriting.   
  
"That's just irritating sometimes," I grumbled as I began to read. Sorry, but Snape's impeccably neat handwriting was just like his perfectly neat little life, and it just got aggravating sometimes. But these thoughts were quickly forgotten as I read.  
  
  
  
Remus, he's back. He appeared at Hogwarts two days ago, trying to get to Harry. I was with Harry, and he left, but we all know that he'll be back. We're trying to keep track of Harry at all times, but you know how stubborn he can be. Hagrid won't be back for a least a month, and Sirius is gone, trying to track down Pettigrew, so I think it might be a good idea for you to come up here. Harry listens to you, at least more than he does to the rest of us. Hope to see you at Hogwarts as soon as possible.  
Severus Snape  
  
  
  
"Oh no." I dropped the letter to the floor. The last time I'd met up with Lord Voldemort I had barely survived, and now...  
  
"I have to go," I said, my voice loud in the silent room. "And whatever happens, happens." Because there was more to my reluctance to go than just fear for myself. The last time Voldemort had almost managed to hypnotize me into helping him, and I wasn't sure, even now, if I could hold up against him again. But I would try.  
..........................................................................................................................................  
"Hi, Severus," I said tiredly. My old enemy and new friend had been standing in the front hall, waiting for me.  
"You up to this?" he asked, looking worriedly at me. I couldn't help but smile at his apparent concern. Only a few months ago he would have been quite pleased to have seen me in this condition.  
  
"What are you grinning about?" he demanded.  
  
"I was just thinking about how this is quite a change from just a few months ago." He wagged a finger at me.  
  
"Well, don't get used to it. And don't make me mad. I've got a very short temper these days, what with You-Know-W-, oh fine, Voldemort, about."  
  
"And I don't blame you there," I assured him.  
  
"You would if you were in my Potions class," Harry said, walking toward us. "He's given four detentions today, and three of those were to Slytherins!"  
  
"Who was the other one?" I asked shrewdly.  
  
"Me. Who else?"  
  
"Well, Potter, if you would quit trying to sneak away from all the teachers I wouldn't have to give you detention to keep track of you," Snape protested. Harry rolled his eyes, and I turned away, hiding a smile.  
  
"It's not funny!" Snape whined. That was too much for Harry. He cracked up, and I couldn't stop myself from grinning. Severus gave us a highly affronted look, which only made Harry laugh harder.   
  
"Potter, if you don't stop laughing this minute, you're going to be in detention for the rest of your time in this school! And I'll do it!" Such a dire threat made Harry stop laughing almost instantly. Then he grinned mischievously.  
  
"You won't, Professor. Because if you did, you'd take away my only reason for ever being good." Snape sighed.  
  
"See how hard it is to win an argument with him?" he asked me. I nodded.  
  
"Yep. And after seeing this, I'm extremely glad he's Sirius' godson instead of mine."  
  
"I don't blame you there. But maybe we should go on up to Dumbledore's office. All the other teachers are already up there."  
  
"Okay, well, if this is a staff meeting, I guess I better just be going," Harry said slyly, and started for the door. He didn't get far, though.   
  
"I don't think so, Potter. You'll be coming with us," Severus informed him. Harry grumbled, but he walked alongside us as we headed for the headmaster's office.  
  
"Sit," Severus ordered as we walked into the office, summoning chairs for the three of us. I sank gratefully into the chair as Dumbledore addressed the gathering.  
  
"As you probably know," he began, "Voldemort has already expressed his intent to capture Harry. That is our main concern. I have reason to believe that should Lord Voldemort succeed in capturing Harry, nothing could stop him. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to keep Harry under watch for as long as Voldemort remains a threat. Sorry, Harry," he added as he saw the disgusted look on Harry's face.  
  
"Oh well," Harry said resignedly. "Looks like the mischief makers are out of commission for a while."  
  
"You got that right," Snape said fiercely. "You'll be going nowhere without one of us with you."  
  
"Um, actually I don't think it's a good idea for Harry to be around me," I said timidly. Everyone turned to stare at me.  
  
"Why on earth not?" Minerva McGonagall demanded. I sighed, and only reluctantly began my explanation.  
  
"Last time Voldemort was here-" everyone winced at the name "-I was alone with Harry at one point when we went for Albus. Voldemort almost succeeded in hypnotizing me that time, and would have, without Harry's timely intervention. He knows my weaknesses very well, and I can't - and won't - put Harry at risk because of my own weakness." There was a stunned silence.  
  
"Well, I'm curious," Flitwick admitted. "What could he be holding over your head? Because I won't hesitate to say that you're probably the best of us, excluding Albus and Harry possibly, at Defense Against the Dark Arts." There were nods of agreement. I stared at the floor for a moment, trying to steady my voice. I failed. I glanced up at Snape pleadingly, and he nodded slightly.  
  
"We all know what Lupin is. And that is his weakness. Voldemort, last time, was offering him a cure. I'm not sure whether he was telling the truth, but if he is... If he is, it'll be Lupin's downfall. He'd give anything to not have to worry about hurting anyone any more."  
  
"Remus," Flitwick demanded, "is that the truth?"  
"Yes," I said coolly, my emotions fully in check at last. "Totally. Absolutely. As I explained to Severus, if I hadn't been a werewolf, I would have been with Lily and James that night."  
  
"You'd just have died with them." McGonagall said what was probably on the minds of everybody in the room.  
  
"Maybe. But as you just pointed out, I've always had a talent for Defense Against the Dark Arts." I laughed bitterly. "Maybe the Dark Arts can tell it's own kind."  
  
"That'll be enough, Remus," McGonagall said sternly.   
  
"Why? You all know I'm telling the truth. Don't tell me you've never considered me being working with Voldemort."  
  
"Moony, that's enough," Harry snapped, his voice ringing with power. Obediently I slumped back into my chair.   
  
"Sorry," I whispered faintly. "I don't know what came over me."  
  
"I do," Dumbledore put in. "You see, in that room-" he pointed at a door leading to the next room - "are three dementors. I needed to know your weaknesses and this way I could learn what I needed to know quickly. I told Harry my intentions, and he gamely agreed to help me. I instructed the dementors to focus on one person at a time, and you can see their affect on Remus there." Now that I had learned this had all been a stupid test, I started getting mad. So did everyone else.  
  
"You're saying this was all just a stupid test?!" Snape exploded. "That's ridiculous! Absurd! And subjecting Potter to that, you ought to be ashamed of yourself."  
  
"He didn't make me. I offered," Harry insisted. "Because you can't keep me in a cage forever, and when Voldemort catches me-" it hurt that he said when not if "-he's probably gonna have some dementors with him. It makes sense that he would try to use them on me."  
  
"They won't catch you," I hissed fiercely. "Not with me around."  
  
"Remus, really. You can't protect me forever."  
  
"I can try." He smiled, but it was a sad kind of smile.  
  
"Just don't go crazy over it. I've already lost too many people close to me. Don't make me lose any more." That's when I heard an evil-sounding chuckle.  
  
"Very sweet, Potter. Just hope you meant that." I took one look at the man who slowly appeared in front of us; he'd been invisible.   
  
"Peter." It wasn't a question. It was a simple statement of the fact. Everyone gawked at him.  
  
"It's really him," Flitwick said, sounding rather dazed.  
  
"Of course it's him. Who else would it be? What does Voldemort want this time, Wormtail?" He advanced on us, pointing his wand right at me.  
  
"Why, you, naturally. Sirius is out of reach at the moment, and by my master's way of thinking, the only other person we could use as bait for Potter is you." I tensed, and slowly stood up.  
  
"Me, huh? Well, well. I would have thought he'd learned that werewolves are quite difficult to kill by now."  
  
"Oh, he doesn't want to kill you, Remus. He just wants you to join us."  
  
"Dream on, rat."  
  
"If you're going to be like that, then I suppose I haven't got a choice but to take you back by any means necessary. I warn you, Remus, it won't be pleasant if I have to force you."  
  
"Never thought it would be. And I'm warning you, Wormtail. If your master's plan is to use me as bait for Harry, he can dream on. Severus won't let him come."  
  
"Then we'll just kill you, and have one less enemy to worry about."  
  
"Good for you. I have to admit, you've got guts, because you've seen me at my worst. And I'll be the first to admit that my worst is certainly not pretty. But it'll be the day indeed when you can beat me in a duel."  
  
"Voldemort has powers you never will. Since I joined him, he's taught me quite a bit."  
  
"Wonderful. Yay. Quit messing around, Peter, and get down to business. Didn't the boss say any means necessary?" He glared at me hatefully, and I returned the look.  
  
"Lupin, what do you think you're doing?" Snape demanded. I didn't bother to answer. My entire focus was on Peter.  
  
"What you waiting for?" I taunted. "Scared, Peter? That's why you were always the weakest of the four of us. You could never make a choice on your own. You let everyone tell you what to do, even me and Sirius. I bet it didn't take much to make you turn your back on us. I doubt that you ever had any second thoughts. Surprising, though, that Voldemort didn't try and get Sirius on his side. He was far more powerful. I suppose Voldemort was smarter than I gave him credit for. He knew that we'd never suspect you. And we didn't."  
  
"Stop it!" he yelled at me. I smiled triumphantly. Peter had always been insecure, and I was using that to my advantage.  
  
"Stop it, or I'll curse you right now!" I sat back down in my chair and looked innocently up at him.  
  
"Stop what, Peter?"  
  
"That! What you're doing right now. You're trying to hypnotize me, and it won't work!"  
  
"Why won't it?"  
  
"You're the weak one," he shouted at me in an out-of-control panic. "You're the werewolf!"  
  
"And I'm not likely to forget it. You made sure of that when we were in school, didn't you, Peter?"  
  
"I'll kill you!"  
  
"So? I thought the purpose of this was to bring me back alive."  
  
"It was," Peter answered, but the he sounded somehow uncertain. "No matter, I don't care what the boss says, I'm taking you down anyway." He pointed his wand directly at me, and looked like he was seriously considering blowing me to smithereens. Which would have been just great.  
  
"Remus, what are you doing?" McGonagall asked, almost frantic.   
  
"At the moment, not much."   
  
"Be serious!"  
  
"For me, this is serious."  
  
"Moony," Harry howled, sounding scared to death. I momentarily felt guilty for not being able to tell him what I already knew. Because Peter was a coward at heart, and I had always been able to beat him in a duel. At the same time, I was also glad Harry didn't know or understand the rest of the plan. Talking about Lily and James at the best of times was painful, and now, with dementors so close by, the effects on both Peter and myself would be devastating. But if that was what it took, then so be it.  
  
"Hey, Peter, looks like you've run out of friends," I snickered. He stared at me. "I mean, Lily and James were the ones who always protected you, even from me and Sirius. But with them gone, looks like you haven't got anyone left to run to."  
  
"No," he whimpered, not really realizing what he was saying. "It was all my fault."  
  
"'Course it was, Peter. You betrayed them, not Sirius. And then you let poor, innocent Sirius rot in Azkaban while you roamed free."  
  
"No, I didn't mean to. I just wanted... I didn't want to!"  
  
"But you did," I prompted. Already I was feeling the effects of the dementors, and apparently so was Peter. But I didn't have him where I wanted him, not yet.  
  
"I - I didn't. I wouldn't."  
  
"You did, though. After all James did for you..." I took my mind off my own troubles by watching Peter. He was panicking, backed up against a wall, looking around, desperate to escape. Good.  
  
"No, no, no," he mumbled in a not quite steady voice, and suddenly he whipped around and pointed his wand at me. And I realized that for all my careful planning, it had gone terribly wrong. The effects of the dementors, both on Peter and myself, had been too strong. Peter had totally flipped out, and now he was downright dangerous. There was no telling what he would do. As for myself, I had only averted disaster this long by sheer willpower. But there was no telling how long I could keep it up.   
  
"For Prongs," I muttered under my breath. "Freak out later." I raised my wand, and pointed it at Wormtail. I mumbled a spell, remembering with reluctance the only time that spell had been used on me. I watched impassively as Pettigrew was bound hand and foot. Snape glanced over at me, and nodded slightly, and I knew he was remembering the end of Harry's third year, too. And suddenly I realized what catching Peter really meant. Sirius would be free. Well, he'd been free before, but now there could no longer be any doubt as to his loyalties.   
  
It was my own fault. I was so preoccupied with my own thoughts that I was paying very little attention to Peter. The only thing I remember was hearing Peter laughing crazily, and knowing that finally, finally, he had won.  
.......................................................................................................................................  
I opened my eyes and groaned. I had a monstrous headache, and as I looked around the room, I realized I was still in Dumbledore's office. Severus was kneeling beside me.   
  
"What's going on?" I asked weakly.   
  
"Remus?" Snape said, sounding quite surprised. I sat up and looked at him.  
  
"Yes. I'm awake. You sound surprised."  
  
"I am. He got you good back there." Snape's words instantly brought back the memories of the last five minutes. Peter.  
  
"He got free, and then snuck up on your blind side. Knocked you out," Severus finished.   
  
"How's Harry?" I demanded, not really wanting to hear the answer, yet knowing I had to.  
  
"He's okay," Snape assured me. "After Pettigrew took you out, Harry tied up the rat and put a freezing charm on him. Personally, I would've strangled him instead, but you know..."  
  
"Yeah. I do. Much better than you think." But Snape sounded preoccupied. That was weird. I stood up slowly, and Severus steadied me.   
  
"Careful," he scolded, but again I felt I didn't have his complete attention. I scanned the room, looking for whatever held Snape's focus. And I found it. Fudge, the Minister of Magic, was standing over Peter, looking concerned. I walked over to him, with Severus following behind. As I came toward him, Fudge glanced over at me.  
  
"Who did this?" he asked.   
  
"Someone with quite a bit of luck," I remarked.  
  
"You got to be kidding!" came the stunned reply. "Release this man at once! He's done nothing wrong."  
  
"He was working for Voldemort," I explained patiently.   
  
"I don't care. Release him. And I intend to get the person who tied him up like that. Send `em to Azkaban." I was stunned. Snape was wearing a similar expression.  
  
"I did it, sir," Harry said quietly. Everyone in the room turned to look at him.  
  
"Ignore him," Dumbledore said loudly to Fudge, and then called all the professors to him, Snape and me included.  
  
"We can't let Fudge take him to Azkaban," Albus said quickly.  
  
"Certainly not!" Minerva exclaimed. Everybody else nodded agreement.  
  
"But the only way to get Harry out of it would be to say one of us did it," Flitwick interrupted.   
  
"Exactly," I said slowly. "It has to be me."  
  
"No," Harry snapped. "You can't. You saw the effect the dementors had on you!"  
  
"He'll believe I did it," I continued, ignoring Harry's protests. "It's what he wants to believe. I am a werewolf, after all."  
  
"That doesn't matter," Harry wailed.   
  
"Shut up, Harry," I said tensely. "Don't make this harder than it has to be." I turned my attention to the rest of the staff. "I'll do it. If I'd been paying attention Peter would not have gotten the jump on me, and Harry wouldn't be in this mess at all. Besides, there's a full moon in a week."  
  
"So what?" McGonagall said, but Albus had already figured it out.  
  
"He means that when he changes into the wolf, he should be able to get out of Azkaban and swim back. By then Fudge will have realized how stupid he was to send Remus there at all, and everybody goes home happy."  
  
"I don't go home happy!" Harry exclaimed. I turned on him.  
  
"Look, it's your sanity I'm trying to save. You've never been to Azkaban, so you don't know. You can't know. But I can tell you, it's the most awful place I've ever seen. Most prisoners go mad within a week. And even if I do go crazy in there, it won't be a big loss. But if we lost you, it could mean the difference between life and death for all of us. We've all disobeyed Voldemort more than once by refusing to join him, and if he comes back, do you think he'll leave me alone? I refused him when he was in power all those years ago, and I've done the same today. I'll probably be the first he comes after. I'm dangerous to him, and more than that, it probably cost him quite a bit of pride, to be beaten at his own game by a werewolf." There was a long moment in which no one moved. I took advantage of the moment to walk over to Fudge.  
  
"You want to know who tied up Peter? I did. And I'd do again in a heartbeat." He stared at me, then quickly regained his composure.   
  
"Guards," he yelled, and three dementors came striding toward me. They escorted me to the door, where Albus was waiting.  
  
"It's a very brave thing you're doing," he told me.  
  
"Let's just hope it isn't a stupid thing too."  
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	2. Default Chapter Title

  
This is the second part, and since ya'll seem to like it so much, I won't torture you and not post this.  
  
  
"I think I'm still sane," I said aloud. It had been a week since I'd been put in Azkaban, and I was still sane, or at least I thought I was.  
  
"That's what they all say," said the guard. He was human, and I was almost amused by his suggestion. Of course, these days a lot of things suddenly seemed amusing. I shivered as the felt the familiar chill that accompanied the presence of a dementor. I sank back on the mattress in a corner of the room, and reflected on the events since coming here. The first two days had been sheer torture. It was awful. I kept seeing replays of all the awful stuff that had happened to me, and always the werewolf chased me through my dreams. And somehow it didn't really seem all that important which side I was fighting on. Because wasn't Voldemort more like me than anyone?   
  
"No, I can't join him. Not now, not ever." No, I wouldn't join him. Not because of Albus or Snape or anyone else, as a matter of fact, I had long since stopped caring about anything but escape. But I wanted vengeance.   
  
The only way to get it is join Voldemort, said a little voice in my head. And somehow, this time, that didn't sound like such a bad idea.   
  
"Hey, you got visitors!" the human guard remarked. The door slid open, and I could see Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, and Sirius standing in the doorway.  
  
"Remus?" Harry asked, and walked over to me.  
  
"Hi, Harry," I said softly.   
  
"You're okay." He sounded relieved.  
  
"Depends on what you mean by okay. I'm not totally insane, if that's what you had in mind. Not for lack of trying, though. They sure gave it their best shot." Fudge suddenly came into view behind Dumbledore. I calmly walked over to him.  
  
"Hello, Fudge," I said coolly. He seemed to relax until I spoke again. "You ever try to put me in here again, you may get me, but I'll take you out before I go." I strode past him, out into the corridor, with Dumbledore trailing behind.  
  
"You can't just threaten Fudge like that!" he exclaimed.  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"He will throw you back in Azkaban!" I shrugged.  
  
"So? What's your point? I mean, seriously, he can't do any worse to me than he already has. And this time, I would prefer to have an actual reason for being here."  
  
"It took a lot to get you out of there once, Remus. I probably won't be able to do it a second time."   
  
"Then next time, don't bother."  
  
"I can't do that!"   
  
"Sure you can. Just forget I exist. It's not hard. The rest of the world already has." I continued down the hallway, leaving Albus behind. But I could still hear his voice.  
  
"Just before you go and do something stupid, Remus, know this. Harry cried himself to sleep all last week, knowing you're only in here to protect him. And if you go and get yourself killed, he'll blame himself for that, too." I stopped, considering Dumbledore's words, but I didn't look back at him.  
  
"He's got Sirius, and Snape," I said slowly.  
  
"Yes. He does. And he's very fond of them. But you're the one he'd die for. Don't ask me why, you're a vindictive little brat if I ever saw one, but he loves you." I stared at the floor. I had to go, had to catch that dirty little rodent Peter, and yet I couldn't leave.  
  
"Tell him - tell him that I have to go. And I have to do this by myself. But I'll be back."   
  
"He doesn't have to. I heard you." I turned to see Harry standing beside Albus.  
  
"Harry," I pleaded. He shook his head.  
  
"If your vengeance is more important, then go. But why do I get the feeling that you're considering joining the one I've swore to fight?"  
  
"Harry, no. I wouldn't do that to you." He nodded.  
  
"Maybe. But they say Azkaban changes people..." He let his voice trail off into silence, but I could hear the accusation in his tone. And that hurt. For a split second I saw myself as I knew everyone else did. A freak, something fit to be feared, and destroyed if possible. I stared at them for a moment. Then I turned and ran.  
"Remus!" I heard someone yell, but I paid no attention. I had to get away. It was the night of the full moon, and the wolf in me was in perfect agreement with what I wanted to do at the moment. Run. I made it to the front door, and flung it open. I took one last look at the life I might be giving up for so trivial a thing as my revenge, then I surrendered totally to the wolf. For the first time in my life, I welcomed the changes, welcomed the savage wolf mind because as the wolf I could totally forget for a night, something I could never do as a human.   
  
I tipped my head back and howled, a wild, vicious sound. Then I headed for the water that surrounded the prison. I leapt in, and started paddling. The wolf was a good swimmer, and I made it across without trouble. I paused for a second on the shore, looking back at the life I'd left behind, and then I turned back toward the forests ahead of me.   
...............................................................................................................................................  
I woke slowly. I sat up and looked around the room. I was in Sirius's old house, where I'd been staying, and surprisingly enough, there wasn't much damage. Of course, I reflected, it had been a long journey and the wolf had probably been too tired to do anything drastic. I groaned as I staggered to my feet, but actually I felt surprisingly strong, better than usual after a transformation. After a minute I plopped back down into a chair and considered what I was going to do. I had to catch Peter, but more than that: I had to bring him back alive. Some people had been unconvinced by Snape's testimony that Sirius was innocent, and Peter was the only person I could think of that could clear Padfoot's reputation for good. And yet, the only way I could think of doing that would be to 'join' Voldemort. I didn't want to. It wasn't that I was afraid of him, not really; I had long since stopped fearing any monster but the one that shared my soul. It was that if I 'joined' him, I might not want to go back to the life I knew.   
  
I mean, there was Harry of course, but I knew all too well that he'd already given me up as a lost cause. Sirius hadn't perhaps, but if it came to a showdown between me and Harry, I knew he'd do anything necessary to protect Harry. But in a way, that strengthened my resolve. Because if I did truly join Voldemort, I could rest assured that Sirius wouldn't let me hurt Harry. And I made the choice: I would go to Voldemort, see what I could, and the rest would be up to him.   
.......................................................................................................................................  
"Look what I found sneaking around," sneered a guard to Voldemort.   
  
"I was not sneaking around," I retorted. The guard didn't answer, which gave me time to review the plan that had seemed so straightforward up until five minutes ago.  
  
I had found Voldemort's hideout easily, it was pretty common knowledge among those who worked with Dumbledore. The only reason that Voldemort hadn't been attacked there was fear. And of course a certain desire to remain among the living, which made what I was doing so stupid. Stupid enough to work.  
  
"Remus," Voldemort practically purred, sounding quite delighted. "You may leave," he told the guard without taking his eyes off me. The guard left hurriedly, and Voldemort chuckled evilly as he stared at me.  
  
"So, werewolf, why are you here?"  
  
"To take you up on your offer," I said coolly, straining to sound casual. He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What offer, Remus?"  
  
"Your offer that you could cure me, if I would join you."  
  
"Very well. But what makes you think I need you?"  
  
"You need a spy inside Hogwarts, don't tell me you don't. Dumbledore trusts me, and whatever he won't tell me, Harry and Sirius will."  
  
"Why should I trust you?" I smirked. I had him exactly where I wanted him.  
  
"Because I suppose you've heard that I was put into Azkaban and Dumbledore did nothing to stop it. To put it simply, they betrayed me, and I refuse to work with people I can't trust. Besides, if I play my cards right, I might even wind up your second-in-command."  
  
"I have a second-in-command. Wormtail is doing an adequate job." I snorted, and this time I wasn't faking my contempt.  
  
"Adequate, perhaps. But nothing like he could be. He was never top in any of his classes, but I was quite well known in school for my knowledge of the Dark Arts." That was true, I had been top in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Voldemort studied me carefully, sizing me up, trying to decide if he could trust me. Suddenly I winced as pain shot through me, but I didn't make a sound. The pain stopped abruptly, and Voldemort nodded approvingly.  
  
"Very good. But know this, it will be much worse if you betray me." I nodded.  
  
"Of course. I can see you share my ideas about being betrayed."  
  
"Perhaps. Now, about that cure." He waved a hand, and two chairs appeared. He sat down in one, and gestured for me to do the same. I did, and he continued.  
  
"I have been working on such a thing. Working, mind. I can make the wolf form like an animagus form, meaning that you wouldn't turn into a werewolf on the full moon, and that you would have total control on when you change. You would also keep your human mind, naturally."  
  
"Have you perfected it?" were the first words out of my mouth.  
  
"Yes. It's still dangerous, but usually not fatal."  
  
"Usually, huh?"  
  
"Yes, usually. But I believe you would do very well. If I chose to do it."  
  
"What would I have to do?"  
  
"Prove your intentions. I intend to storm Hogwarts in a few weeks time, and if you're faithful I'll cure you. If not..." He let his voice trail off, but his meaning was plain.  
  
"I understand. What's the main objective of the attack?"  
  
"Getting Potter. That's how I plan to test you." I froze. He wanted me to get Harry for him?! I tried not to show my surprise.  
  
"What an honor. Good to know that you trust me that much. But it will be difficult."  
  
"What else would it be?" he asked, and the confidence in his voice was disturbing.   
  
"You know," I said as though it had just occurred to me, "it might be better for me to be an animagus when we attack. Sirius is an animagus, too, and his form is a huge dog. Not trying to sound double-crossing, but that's the way it looks to me." He nodded.  
  
"Yes, that might be a good idea. Peter is far too small to be of any help in that area, and a large animal like that might be able to cause quite a large amount of damage if he wasn't taken care of quickly. Are you sure the wolf could handle him?"   
  
"Absolutely. We used to play-fight in our dog forms, and I always beat him. The wolf is much stronger than him."  
  
"Fine. We'll do it before we attack, I suppose." And then he turned and left, leaving me sitting there. It was stupid, but I somehow felt guilty for plotting against him. Oh well.  
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	3. Default Chapter Title

Part 3 of my series `All They Ever Wanted'. Thanks to all ya'll who reviewed, and I'm sorry for the delay in posting this piece, but I just posted four new stories (another series), and I didn't have the time.  
  
  
  
  
I watched with undeniable pleasure as Voldemort stalked over to Peter, looking murderous. Not that I could blame him. Peter hadn't been doing his job right for the last week or so, and it was beginning to get aggravating. Of course, I had my own ideas about why Peter had been so uncooperative lately. After only three weeks, I had, more or less, taken over his job. I was now second-in-command if not in name then in fact.   
  
Voldemort's horde had taken an almost immediate liking to me, and were all too willing to do as I commanded. Lately I had begun to influence Voldemort's decisions more and more, and I was hard-pressed to remember whose side I was really fighting on. Actually, most of Voldemort's `vicious' horde were as nice a people as you could want, and I was more comfortable with most of them than I had been with most of the people I'd grown up with, and I was having real doubts about whether or not I could go back. Not whether or not I should go back, I had no doubts that I needed to, but I wasn't sure if I could. Voldemort's voice suddenly interrupted my brooding thoughts.  
  
"What do you think? Give him another chance or not?" I stood there a minute, studying the panic-stricken look on Peter's face, before I gave my answer.  
  
"Give `im another chance. He is an old friend, after all." Voldemort, with a little shrug, turned to Peter.  
  
"All right then. Get lost, and I don't want to hear about any more screw-ups." Peter didn't need a second invitation. Before Voldemort had even finished his sentence he was gone, disappearing into the horde. Voldemort laughed a little at that, then looked over at me.  
  
"You're too compassionate for your own good, you know." I shrugged carelessly.  
  
"Maybe. But they seem to like it," I said, gesturing at the wizards around us.   
  
"Yeah, they do at that. We make a good team, with you on the merciful end of things, and with me on the vicious side."  
  
"Vicious?" I remarked as if I'd never considered such a thing. Voldemort looked away, hiding a smile. Oh yes, I had quite an influence over one of the most powerful wizards in the world.  
  
"When do you think we'll be ready to attack Hogwarts?" he asked.   
  
"I dunno. But I do know who would." I raised my voice and started calling for Jake. He was at my elbow in an instant.  
  
"Yes, boss, sir?" I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Lay off the `boss, sir' stuff, will you? My name is Remus, for the ninety-nine millionth time. What I need to know is: how long until you think we'll be ready to attack?"  
  
"Oh, any time. We've got enough people to go whenever you like." I glanced over at Voldemort questioningly, and he nodded in approval.  
  
"Very good, Remus. Now, if there's no more delays, we should be attacking tomorrow." I nodded in agreement before I realized what I was doing. I was going along with him?! I was going to help him attack a place I had helped protect only a few weeks before? And again I wondered: who was I anyway? Not the person I had been, at least I was sure of that much.  
.....................................................................................................................................  
"Where am I supposed to be during this attack?" I wondered out loud. Voldemort and I had apparated to just outside Hogwarts grounds, and were carefully measuring up the place.   
  
"You'll be with me," Voldemort said absentmindedly. I followed the direction of his gaze, and was shocked to see Harry, Hermione, and Ron walking across the grounds alone.   
  
"Wait up!" I heard someone call, and Severus Snape came running toward them. From where I was, I could easily hear him lecturing Harry, and I was pleased to hear him give all three detention. Ordinarily I wouldn't have been so happy about it, but Voldemort was more than a match for me, and if Harry had gotten himself in captured I wasn't sure that I could've freed him.   
  
'Why on earth am I even thinking about that? If he gets captured it'll be his own fault. It's not my problem.' Not anymore.  
  
"Remus?" Voldemort said, and I glanced over at him.   
  
"Yes, my lord?" Normally I didn't hold with the `my lord' stuff, but I knew how bitterly disappointed he must have been to have been that close to Potter and not been able to grab him.   
  
"Will you have a problem capturing him?" His tone was casual, but I felt the tension in his voice.  
  
"Of course not. He's an enemy." As I said it, I was shocked by how easily, how fearlessly I was lying to him. And what was worse, I wasn't sure whether I was lying or not. I would like to think I was, but these days I wasn't really sure. These days I wasn't sure about anything.   
  
"You're certain?" Voldemort prompted, and I thought: No, of course I'm not certain, and I hate even being you, you lying, murdering scum. What I said was that I was sure.  
  
"Then let's go. I've decided that we'll be attacking tonight, instead of tomorrow like we planned." We apparated back to Voldemort's stronghold, and he explained the change in plans.  
  
"Well then, what should we do with Draco?" Lucius Malfoy demanded. "He's not sure if he wants to join us, and I would like it if he could be part of the conquering army." Draco? Not wanting to join Voldemort? I'd thought that he would've been the first to join up. Apparently even a Malfoy had more sense than I did.  
  
"Remus can baby-sit your son," Voldemort sneered, and Lucius winced. Lord Voldemort turned to me. "Sorry about that, but I think you could be awfully convincing to young Mister Malfoy, and it would also be the perfect time for you to try out your new animagus abilities."  
  
"Animagus abilities?" I echoed. He laughed at my surprise.  
  
"Yes, Remus. I wasn't sure, then, that you could be trusted, and so I simply didn't tell you that I'd already done the spell. These days I have no such doubts."  
  
"That's good to know," I told him. He nodded.  
  
"Yes. It is indeed. You've proved yourself worthy of my trust a million times over, and I'm sure you'll be a good influence on Draco."  
  
"I'll do my best," I said, and watched, smirking, as Lucius pushed his son forward. He looked downright terrified. Draco stared at me for a moment in stunned surprise.  
  
"Professor Lupin!" he yelped. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Potter?"  
  
"Obviously I joined the winning side," I snickered. "I thought you'd have enough brains to have done the same." Lucius scowled at me, and I stared him down. After a moment he looked away.   
  
"Come, Draco," I snapped, and stalked away, with Draco following meekly behind. I led the way to my office, and stepped inside. I settled into my favorite armchair, and gestured for Draco to sit as well. He did, but nervously, as though he expected me to curse him any minute.   
  
"Now, I want to know why you refuse to join us," I demanded. Draco stared at the floor.  
  
"Because it's wrong," he burst out suddenly. "Can't you see that?"  
  
"Wrong?" I purred. "What's wrong about it?"  
  
"What's wrong about it?!" he said, almost hysterical. "Everything!"  
  
"Who've you been talking to?"  
  
"Hermione, but that's not the point. I won't do it!"  
  
"That's rather stupid of you. And I can see right through you. You're just trying to see if I'm a traitor. I'm insulted."  
  
"Professor, please! I'm not testing you, seriously. I want your help. I have to get out of here."  
  
"I don't believe you. Why on earth would you even want to take sides against us?"  
  
"Us? You're even talking like them! I can't believe you, of all people..."  
  
"Why not me?" I asked, and I pushed back my sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark on my left arm. He let out a gasp of fear.  
  
"I do not believe this. You have joined them, haven't you?"  
  
"Nah. I'm a spy," I said, deciding on a mixture of the truth and some very careful lies.   
  
"Then why do you have the Dark Mark?"  
  
"If I'd refused they would've cursed me on sight. Actually, though, I got to like the place, even learned to like Lord Voldemort. So I swapped sides. It's not difficult."  
  
"So you have turned on Harry, haven't you?" He sounded appalled by the very idea.   
  
"Why are you so surprised?"  
  
"I just thought you had more decency than that," he practically sneered.   
  
"Better be careful who you insult," I said carelessly. "Remember what I am, Draco." He glared at me, and I mock-snarled at him.   
  
"It's not the full moon, you can't threaten me with that yet."  
  
"Haven't you heard? Voldemort can now change werewolves into animagi. I'm no longer a werewolf. It doesn't have to be a full moon for me to transform." If possible, he went even paler than he already was.   
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
"But you don't know that, do you?"   
  
"Yes, I do. You wouldn't do that, even to me." Before he had even finished his sentence, I was already transformed into the wolf. He froze, and stared at me with terrified eyes. I changed back quickly, and grinned wolfishly at him.  
  
"Now you know," I said, and he nodded.  
  
"Yes, I most certainly do. Now make a choice: either help me get back to Hogwarts, or tell Voldemort where my loyalties lie."  
  
"Better go tell Voldemort then," I said cheerfully. I got up out of my chair, and headed for the door.   
  
I expected Draco to start laughing at the wonderful prank he'd pulled, but he did nothing of the kind. Just sat there, waiting. I stopped and looked back at him, and in his eyes I could read a kind of resignation. Then I knew. He was telling the truth. And he was right: I had to make a choice. Forever turn my back on Harry and all he stood for, or go back and own up to what I'd almost done.   
  
"Come on, Draco. I'll take you back."  
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	4. Default Chapter Title

4th part of my series, yadda yadda yadda. A real cliffhanger too. *chuckles evilly*   
  
  
  
  
"This was such a dumb idea," I complained. Draco rolled his eyes but didn't answer. We'd left Voldemort's stronghold without much trouble- being Voldemort's well liked second-in-command had it's advantages. After we'd gotten far enough away, I'd apparated to just outside Hogwarts' grounds. Draco, thankfully, had learned how to apparate, thanks to his father, and by some miracle had managed to do it correctly. Now all we had to do was get inside Hogwarts without being cursed. I needn't have worried, though. Draco boldly walked up to the castle door, opened it, and stepped inside. Reluctantly, I followed.   
  
"Draco?" Severus asked, walking toward us with Harry and Sirius just behind him. Then he saw me, and stopped dead. "Remus?!"  
  
"Hi, Severus," I said tiredly. He raced over, with Harry not far behind.   
  
"What are you doing here? Last thing I heard, you were Voldemort's new second-in-command. Should have known better."  
  
"Um, Severus? What you heard: it was true."  
  
"That's not even funny, Lupin."  
  
"Never meant it to be. I'm serious."   
  
"I don't believe it," Harry said stubbornly.  
  
"Then how's this for proof?" I demanded, pushing up my sleeve to show them the Dark Mark.   
  
"It's true," Harry said sadly. "Why'd you come back?"  
  
"Draco wanted me to take him back. He's extremely convincing." There was a stunned silence.   
  
"You didn't come back just for him," Harry said slowly.  
  
"No. I didn't. I came back because I needed to know."  
  
"Needed to know what?"  
  
"Where my loyalties really lie."  
  
"Well?" Sirius prompted. I shrugged.  
  
"I dunno. I'd like to say here, no question, but I can't."  
  
"Why not?" Severus asked.  
  
"Because of how easily I turned on you. Because I not only became one of Voldemort's, but his second-in-command."  
  
"Well, I can answer that question now," Harry remarked.  
  
"How?" I demanded. Before any of us could stop him, he stepped forward and slapped me across the face. The kid packed a punch.  
  
"Geez, what was that for? I haven't done anything yet. You can hit me after I do something." He stepped forward to do it again, bringing out the defensive side of the wolf, and I automatically lashed out at him. He didn't move, just stood there, waiting for the blow to connect. My hand stopped a bare half-inch from his face.   
  
"See?" Harry said, sounding quite pleased with himself. "You couldn't do it. One of Voldemort's true followers would've done it, no hesitation." I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him.  
  
"That doesn't prove a thing. And just so you know, I learned a lot of curses while I was with Voldemort, and if you do that again I'm likely to try one out on you."  
  
"I won't," Harry said smugly. "I got what I needed to know."  
  
"Smart aleck," I grumbled. "I guess some things never change." Sirius started to say something, but was interrupted by Dumbledore's voice.  
  
"Welcome back, Remus."  
  
"No way. None of this `welcome back' stuff. You don't seem to get it. I joined Voldemort. I'll wear the Dark Mark for the rest of my life. I'm one of his."  
  
"Only if you want to be," Dumbledore said quietly.  
  
"I don't want to be. I don't want to betray all of you. But it's only a matter of time before he makes me come back to him."  
  
"Why, Remus?"  
  
"Because he could do as he promised, or close." No one seemed to get this for a moment, but slowly I saw the light of understanding dawn in Snape's eyes.  
  
"He could cure you?"  
  
"No. But instead of being a werewolf, I'm an animagus. Instead of changing on full moons, I change at will, like a normal animagus. And I keep my human mind, naturally."  
  
"He did it before the battle?" Sirius mused. "That surprises me. I'd've thought that he'd, you know, make you prove your intentions." I grinned micheviously.  
  
"I got him to do it because of you," I teased Padfoot. "I told him you were an animagus as well, and he agreed that it might be difficult to contain you without my being able to shift into my wolf form at will."  
  
"Always knew being an animagus would come in handy, didn't you?"  
  
"Sure, Padfoot. Whatever you say." Then I heard the voice.  
  
"Remus!" someone shouted, from outside, and instantly the Dark Mark on my arm started to burn. I knew what it meant, of course. Voldemort was calling me, and I wasn't responding. I tried not to show it, but the pain was gradually growing until it was almost intolerable. Sirius and Harry, however, knew me far too well.  
  
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.  
  
"The Mark," I mumbled. "Voldemort's calling me, and I'm not coming. It's painful." Sirius looked slightly puzzled, but Harry, always sensitive to Dark Magic,   
understood immediately. He lightly touched my arm, and instantly the pain lessened.  
  
"How did you... What did you do?"  
  
"Light conquers Dark, at least in fair confrontations. While you're in here, with us, the spell I put on you will protect you. If you leave Hogwarts, however, I can't guarantee that protection." Harry stepped away from me and opened the front door. It wasn't a risk; without being invited, dark wizards couldn't enter Hogwarts, and none of us was about to invite Voldemort. That didn't stop him from coming right up to the door, though. In the weeks I had been with Voldemort, I had grown sensitive to his moods, and he looked about as mad now as I had ever hoped to see him.  
  
"Remus," he sneered. "Gone back to your little friends, have you? Should have stayed with me, you know. You could've ruled the wizarding world with me. But oh well. Anyway, I think I'd prefer to have this world all to myself."  
  
"Go rule your little dreams all by yourself, Voldemort," I snapped.  
  
"Wonder how you're going to feel about that when I catch you?"  
  
"I wouldn't know, and neither will you. You'll never take me alive." Surprise flickered in Voldemort's eyes, then quickly faded.  
  
"Brave sentiments. They won't last. You'll die begging for mercy, just like everyone else."  
  
"Like Lily and James?" I said coldly.  
  
"Oh, no. They were brave. You are not."  
  
"True. But we'll deal with that when the time comes, now won't we?"   
Voldemort gave me one last hate-filled look, then turned to go.  
  
"Yes, Remus, we certainly will, and you'll regret ever turning your back on me," he said over his shoulder. Harry shut the door and I collapsed against it, panting.  
  
"I had no idea he was that strong," I whispered. Then a horrible thought occurred to me. "Jake."  
  
"Who's Jake?" Harry asked.   
  
"Jake is a friend of mine. You see, there are a few of Voldemort's wizards who, for some reason, are more loyal to me than to him. Jake is one of those. I have the feeling that he didn't join Lord Voldemort willingly. I know that he had a wife and daughter, and his wife died a few years ago. His daughter lives with her aunt. He says it's because he can't be bothered taking care of her, but I don't think he's telling the truth. He's doing it to keep her away from Voldemort's influence, I'm certain."   
  
"So what are we going to do about it?" Harry said, but I could see from the look in his eyes that he'd already decided to do something.  
  
"We can't just go and storm Voldemort's army, Harry," Dumbledore said softly, as though he wished we could.  
  
"No, but we have to do something."  
  
"Yeah, we can't just leave him with Voldemort. He's likely to try and desert Voldemort, and when he does Voldemort'll do something drastic," I said worriedly.  
  
"Are any of you listening to yourselves?" Snape demanded.  
  
"Would you," Sirius posed the question in a would-be-sensible kind of voice, "if you were them?"  
  
"Be serious! We can't just risk all our lives for someone we aren't even sure can be trusted."  
  
"I'd trust Jake with my life," I said instantly.  
  
"All right, even without that, are you even sure he'd want to leave You-Know-Who?"  
  
"Yes," I answered without hesitation. "He's just looking for an excuse."  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" said Harry enthusiastically.  
  
"We're waiting for Snape to decide to cooperate," I offered, and we all looked over at Snape.  
  
"Fine! If you wanna die, I suppose I can't stop you. And you know what they say: if you can't beat `em, join `em."  
  
"Don't even mention that," I grumbled. "That's what got me into this mess in the first place."  
  
  



	5. Default Chapter Title

Fifth part of my never-ending series, you know the drill. Oh, BTW- Jake belongs to me, `ite? *laughs wildly at the thought of anyone wanting to use her stupid character*  
  
  
  
"I feel really stupid," Draco whined. Sirius and I ignored him. It had been decided that Harry should stay behind, with Dumbledore and Snape, while Sirius, Draco, and I went to get Jake. We'd snuck out the back door and circled around, so we were behind Voldemort's army. Now all we had to do was find Jake and leave. Easier said than done. After a few minutes we decided that the only way to find Jake would be to have one of us go in there and get him. Which also led to a huge argument.  
  
"You can't go. No way," Sirius protested. He'd been going on like that for the last ten minutes. However, the only way he would go in there would be over my dead body. Since it was my friend we were trying to save, I considered it no less then my bounden duty to do the dangerous part of what we were attempting. Sirius and I continued to argue, but we were interrupted by Draco's drawling voice.  
  
"Can we go now?" Startled, I looked over at him. Taking advantage of our argument, Draco had sneaked past the guards, found Jake, and dragged him back out to where we were. Embarrassed, Sirius and I suddenly found something very interesting to look at on the ground. Draco simply laughed.   
  
"That's pitiful, you know. But forget it. Let's just go, before they realize we're here." Cautiously, the four of us started walking back toward Hogwarts' back door. Halfway there we were spotted.  
  
"Get them!" yelled a guard, and we bolted. They realized where we were attempting to go, however, and cut us off.   
  
"Looks like we're going for the direct approach," Sirius remarked, trying a feeble joke. It wasn't working.   
  
"GET THEM!" I heard someone yell, and I recognized the voice instantly. Voldemort. "DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY! IF YOU HAVE TO, LET THE OTHERS GO, BUT GET. THAT. WEREWOLF!!!" Great.   
  
"Isn't it wonderful to know that you're the prime target for a mad man?" I asked Sirius as we ran. He rolled his eyes.  
  
"If it's any consolation, you're not his main concern. Harry is the one he really wants." It was not a consoling thought. We made it to the front doors and Harry and Snape unlocked them in a hurry. We stepped inside and immediately collapsed into chairs that Harry had thoughtfully conjured up. Safe at last. From where I was, I could hear Voldemort's roars of rage, and I felt quite pleased with myself for being such a cause of irritation for the guy.  
  
"What did you do now?" Jake teased me.  
  
"Not much," I told him. "Just went back to Harry, turned my back on Voldemort for good, and thoroughly teed him off."  
  
"And then you very thoughtfully came and got me," he added.  
  
"Yep. And that's about it."  
  
"Well, I have to say that I'm very thankful for your concern. I probably never would have had the courage to leave Voldemort on my own, because of my daughter." He looked around at all of us. "I'm very grateful, and I'll do whatever I can to help you."  
  
"You just said the magic words," Draco remarked. "We need all the help we can get."  
  
"I don't know, you seem to be doing well enough on your own."  
  
"Looks can be deceiving," Harry said matter-of-factly. "We're in trouble. It wouldn't be bad if it was just us, but this is a school, and there are hundreds of helpless children we have to think about." Harry spoke with the air of command, and I smiled as I watched him. He seemed to be growing up so fast, with his huge responsibilities forcing him to be more mature than he ordinarily would have been.   
  
"He's right," I spoke up. "It wouldn't be bad if it was just us, but we have innocent children to think about. We have to protect them, at all costs."  
  
"What kind of `all costs' are you thinking, Remus?" Sirius asked.  
  
"I mean what I said. I don't care what we have to do, we have to protect them."  
  
"Well then, we'd better call a meeting of all the teachers. You go get Hermione and Ron, and meet me in my office," Albus ordered. Harry ran for the Gryffindor common room, and Sirius and I watched him go. I watched Sirius's hand tighten on his wand, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was: how much longer could we protect him? How much longer could we keep him safe? I wasn't sure, but I made a silent vow that I'd die before I'd let Voldemort get anywhere close to Harry. Snape abruptly snapped his fingers in front of my face, effectively snapping me out of my reverie.   
  
"What are you thinking about?" he asked. "If it's that compelling, then tell me." But he knew exactly what I'd been thinking about, and I had no doubts that he'd been wondering the same thing. I wondered if he'd reached the same conclusion I had.  
  
"We'd better get going," Dumbledore muttered. He headed for the teacher's lounge, leaving Snape, Sirius, Draco, Jake, and me standing there. After a few minutes he returned with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, as well as Madam Pomfrey. We met up with the famous trio at the entrance to Dumbledore's office, and walked inside. We conjured up a few chairs and sat down.   
  
We began to outline plans for the defense of Hogwarts, and Jake and Hermione came up with several helpful comments. We soon realized, though, that whether or not we could hold out here was unimportant. We all knew that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort broke through the spells that had been protecting the castle, and then what were we going to do? Flitwick suggested that, if it came down to that, we could surrender and Voldemort would probably spare the children.   
  
"He wouldn't," I said slowly. "He spares nothing. Not even his own followers. You mess up once, and Voldemort'll never forget it. Ditch that idea."  
  
"Would you know that from personal experience, Remus?" McGonagall asked, not unkindly.  
  
"You mean, did I ever mess up anything for Voldemort? Obviously no, I didn't, I'm still breathing, aren't I? Peter, however, messed up several times on purpose, and I just barely convinced Voldemort to let Pettigrew stay among the living."  
  
"Why on earth did you bother doing that?"  
  
"Because, if you'll remember, Harry saved Peter's life. He owes him. That may come in handy one of these days, should Harry become captured." Harry gave me a sideways glance as though to say, "Finally admitted the inevitable, have you?" I hadn't, though, despite what he thought.   
  
I was still determined that Harry would never be captured, and I knew Sirius shared my sentiments. What I wasn't sure about was how long those ideas would last. How much longer would it be before the twelve of us were ten? Or five? Or none?  
  
  



	6. Default Chapter Title

Okay, the sixth chapter of my loooong fic. I'm sorry, but this just wound up longer than I expected. And the seventh chapter will be tomorrow, hopefully.  
  
  
  
"I can't take this anymore!" Snape raged. "We're like caged animals!" It had been three days since my return, and the tension was finally getting to Severus, and everyone else. Voldemort had started a siege of Hogwarts, and nothing got in or out, not owls or anything else. The kids were getting scared, and worries about their parents' safety were only making it worse.   
  
"Oh, you get used to being caged up," Sirius said darkly, frowning at Snape. "Trust me, I know."   
  
"Sirius, please. Scowling at Snape does you no good. We need to stick together," I pleaded. The two of them had been bickering constantly for the last day and a half, and it was giving me a serious headache.  
  
"Stick together!" Snape exclaimed. "Who deserted us when we needed them, huh?" Normally I would have just ignored a remark like that because he didn't really mean what he was saying, he was just under a lot of pressure, but this time his words rang true.   
  
"Listen, I didn't mean it, I'm so sorry, I'm just-" Severus began.  
  
"You're just under a lot of pressure," I finished for him. "I understand." But I couldn't help but wonder: if even one of my best friends thought me a traitor, what was I doing here? Harry, who'd been standing in the doorway, listening, suddenly spoke up.  
  
"Ignore him, Remus."  
  
"I am." He shook his head.  
  
"No, you're not. You're taking that way too personal. He doesn't mean it. And you gave up your future as Voldemort's highest-ranking officer to help us. You're the farthest thing from a traitor." I nodded, and he left, giving Snape a warning look as he walked away. And what he said helped, I had come back, that was the important thing. That's what counted.  
  
`No it doesn't, said a little voice in my head. `You're just a coward making excuses.'  
  
"No, I'm not," I said aloud, and Sirius looked over at me questioningly.   
  
"Anything wrong?" he asked.   
  
"Nah. Nothing at all," I assured him, then, so softly that no one heard me, "Nothing but the fact that I'm a dirty, double-crossing traitor."  
.......................................................................................................................................  
"We have to do something," Minerva McGonagall announced. It had been more than a week since Voldemort's return to Hogwarts, and all of us were going stir crazy. Voldemort had kept up his siege of Hogwarts, and we were running out of options.  
  
"We could surrender," Snape said sarcastically.   
  
"That's not like you, Severus," I said quietly. "And frankly, we don't need your sarcasm. Instead of thinking up sarcastic remarks, think up a way to get out of here."  
  
"He can't," said a cold voice from the back of the room. "Because there is no way out." Snape and I exchanged startled looks, then looked back at the source of the voice.   
Harry. Harry had been the most optimistic among us through this whole bit, and now it finally sounded like he too was giving up. Minerva, Flitwick, Sirius, Jake, Madam Pomfrey, and I had long since stopped being optimistic, and even Draco, Hermione, and Ron had quit with the optimism these days. The only ones who really thought we'd actually get out of here in one piece were Harry and Dumbledore. That is, until now.  
  
"Harry, come on. Nothing's hopeless," Sirius pleaded.   
  
"Give it up, Sirius. I know as well as you do that there's no way out of this one," Harry said coolly.  
  
"He's right," Snape said firmly. "Don't quit on us now." Harry got up out of his chair, and walked toward the door. At the doorway he paused.  
  
"Of course. There is a way out of here. In pieces." And then he turned and walked away.  
  
"So much for optimism," Sirius remarked. And suddenly it was too much. Too much of being caged up, of being at Voldemort's beck and call. I rose from my chair and started for the door.  
  
"He's right," I said without looking back at them. "There's no way we'll get out of here alive. Give it up. I say we give Voldemort what he wants. He always gets it anyway."  
  
"Remus," Sirius pleaded. I whirled around and glared at him.  
  
"Don't you get it? He doesn't really want the school itself, or the students. He wants us. He wants the only ones who could possibly bring him down. And he'll get us, if he has to take the entire school down to do it. So forget the thought that there might be a single noble bone in Voldemort's body. He's as cruel as they get. You haven't seen him, seen the way he gets what he wants. I was not so lucky." I realized there were tears in my eyes, and I turned away from them, refusing to admit my weakness. Sirius walked over and led me back to my chair. I curled up in the chair and closed my eyes, images coming unbidden to my troubled mind.   
  
"You haven't seen him," I whispered. "Haven't seen the lengths he'll go to if he thinks you know something he doesn't. He'll do anything, say anything. He won't threaten you directly, of course. He's smart enough to know that some of the more stubborn ones would keep their mouths shut just to spite him if he did. Oh no, he threatens your family, your children. I've seen the toughest men break under the thought of their children being harmed. For all the other awful things he does, I don't think I ever really realized how utterly heartless he is. But I brought it on myself, you know. Oh yes, I just had to go and turn spy. And I'll pay for it. I'll never forget that wicked laugh of his as long as I live."  
  
"Well, you came back when we needed you. You turned your back on him. You don't deserve to feel guilty for things you didn't do," Sirius said softly.   
  
"Okay, Sirius, you've made your point, and you've made me bawl like a baby. Can I go now?" Reluctantly he nodded.  
  
"Would you mind getting Harry for us, too? Hermione wanted to talk to him. She's in the library," Sirius called after me as I walked out the door.   
  
"When, exactly, did she want to talk to Harry?" I said shrewdly.  
  
"'Bout three hours ago, I suppose," Sirius answered, staring up at the ceiling with a mournful expression. I laughed, and went walking down to the Gryffindor common room.   
  
"Courage," I said to the Fat Lady, and the portrait swung forward to let me in. I stepped into the room and was immediately bombarded by the students.  
  
"Has Voldemort backed off?" Colin Creevey asked. I shook my head.  
  
"No. I just needed to talk to Harry, actually. Trust me, Colin, when Voldemort gives up, you'll be the first to know. Like that's ever gonna happen," I added under my breath as I started up the stairs. I walked into Harry's dormitory, and nearly ran into Ron Weasley.  
  
"Looking for Harry?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, you seen him?"  
  
"No, but he left a paper on his bed. I dunno if it's a note or something, but you could see."  
  
"All right, and by the way, when did he leave?"  
  
"Oh, a fair bit ago," Ron answered. "Bye." And with that he disappeared down the staircase. I walked over to Harry's bed and picked up the paper. In horror, I read the letter.  
  
  
To whom it may concern:   
This may be the last time you hear from the famous Harry Potter. I can see as well as anyone that Voldem ort is only going after the school to capture me. I cannot continue to endanger all those I hold dear by remaining at Hogwarts. I've gone to surrender myself to Voldemort. Good luck to all of you.  
  
  
I went running down the stairs, and straight to the staffroom. Snape and Sirius looked up in mild alarm as I burst in.  
  
"Good grief man, can't you knock?" Snape demanded.   
  
"Harry's gone," I panted, ignoring Severus. The reaction was immediate.  
  
"He's gone!" Minerva exclaimed. "He can't be gone, where would he go?" Silently I handed her the letter, and her face grew paler and paler as she read. She passed it to Sirius, who read it quickly, all the color draining from his face. Snape, who'd been reading over Sirius' shoulder, looked up at me with real terror in his eyes.  
  
"What do we do?" he asked hoarsely.   
  
"We tell Albus," Flitwick said quickly as he read the letter in Sirius' hand.   
  
"Agreed," I said quickly, and we rushed up to Dumbledore's office, to meet him coming out.  
  
"What's the emergency?" he asked resignedly.   
  
"Headmaster, Harry's gone!" Snape said hurriedly. He handed Dumbledore the letter. Albus read it through hastily, then went running for the front door. We followed. He flung the door open to see Voldemort standing on the other side.   
  
"We've got your little champion," Voldemort hissed. "Now what are you going to do?" He spotted me and chuckled evilly. "What are you going to do without your precious Harry, Remus?" That did it. I'm not a violent man, but it took all the self-control I had not to pull out my wand and curse him then and there. I restrained myself only with the thought that he must have a reason to come up here, and if I murdered him we likely would never find out.  
  
"Smart choice, Remus," Voldemort said as though he could read my mind. "I have a very important reason to be up here, and it involves our little friend there." He pointed at me. "He has until dawn tomorrow to surrender himself to me. If he does, I'll release little Harry. He's just a child, not really that important to me. Remus, however, has been spying on me, and I hate spies." I shivered involuntarily, and Voldemort grinned wickedly. "Your choice, Remus," he said, before turning his back on us and walking away. I stood there looking after him for a long moment before I turned back to face the others. Dumbledore shut the door with a furious expression on his face, and it wasn't hard to tell who he was mad at.   
  
"Why you?" Sirius said angrily, looking at me. "Why didn't he pick someone else?"  
  
"Because he knows I've seen him at his worst," I said grimly. "I'm afraid of what he can do, and he knows it. He also understands that I can't let him hurt Harry in my place."  
  
"That evil, that low-down dirty rat, I'll..." Sirius' voice trailed off, obviously unsure of what he was actually going to do.  
  
"Well, what are we going to do?" Albus asked. "I don't you want you to go out there, Remus."  
  
"We don't have a choice," I said flatly. "I have to go. I won't let him hurt Harry for my sake."  
  
"Remus, if you go, he'll kill you!"  
  
"So long as Harry gets back," I said coolly.   
  
"Are you insane?!" Snape yelled. "Do you have a death wish or something?!"  
  
"Does it matter?" I asked, and he fell silent. Because really, it didn't. We didn't have a choice. And that was what made it so hard.  
  
  



	7. Default Chapter Title

This is the seventh part to my series, and it's kinda long, I know, but this is one situation, so I couldn't really break it up. There's just one part after this, I promise, and it's very short. I post it fast, if I get good reviews.  
  
  
  
  
"We could, I don't know, use the Polyjuice Potion on one of us," Sirius said frantically. It was nearly five o'clock in the morning, and I had only an hour or so left to make my choice. Already, though, I knew the choice I'd make. I'd go. There was no other choice.  
  
"Sirius, it'd take forever to make a Polyjuice Potion, and we don't have forever, sorry," I snapped.  
  
"I'm just trying to help," he wailed. "And how can you be so calm?"  
  
"Everyone gets what they deserve eventually," I said with a little laugh. It was not a happy laugh. "I just consider this to be what I deserve."  
  
"You do not deserve this," Snape said from between clenched teeth.  
  
"Whether I do or not doesn't matter, now does it?"  
  
"Of course it matters," Dumbledore said firmly. I looked around the room. Minerva McGonagall had left the room an hour or two earlier, and Madam Pomfrey had gone with her, but Snape, Sirius, Jake, Draco, and Dumbledore were still here, trying their best to come up with something.  
  
"No it doesn't," I said with a fury that surprised me. "It doesn't matter because you're not going to have to do this. The only thing that's keeping me from just refusing to go out there is the thought of what Voldemort can do." There was moment of silence, then:  
  
"Why did he have to do this?" Jake whimpered, and I didn't have to ask who he was referring to. Voldemort.  
  
"Because I made him mad. Because I made look like a fool in front of his own followers. Because he played his all his cards the right way and I still left."  
  
"Why not one of us?" Sirius said to no one in particular.  
  
"I told you," I said, my temper finally under control once more. "He needs me. If he lets me get away, he'll lose credibility with his own followers. He has to get me." I sighed. "I just don't know how I could've been so stupid as to think that I could totally get away from him." I rose from my chair and walked over to the window, watching the sunrise. My last, I realized with a surprising lack of emotion.   
  
"What are you thinking about?" Sirius asked. I looked over at him, and crossed the room to him.   
  
"Lots of things. Mostly how stupid I was to think I could truly leave the past behind." Before he could reply, I walked out the door of the staffroom to the huge front doors of Hogwarts. He followed.   
  
"That wasn't stupid," he whispered. "I want to leave the past behind, too. Everyone does." Ignoring Sirius, I opened the doors and looked out at the magnificent sunrise. It was amazing how many things you noticed and appreciated when you knew you might never see them again. I transformed into the wolf, and glanced over at Sirius. Obeying my unspoken command, he too changed into his dog form. I tipped my head back and howled, a wild and yet somehow mournful sound. Sirius followed my lead. Suddenly I heard a voice behind me.  
  
"Wow, pretty dogs," said a girl's voice. I looked around to see a third year girl who's name was Courtney if I remembered correctly. She walked over to us and started petting us. I looked over at Sirius and grinned wolfishly. He rolled his eyes. Courtney studied me carefully, then let out a yelp of fear.   
  
"It's a werewolf," she whispered fearfully. Sirius changed back and tried to reassure her.  
  
"It's okay," he soothed. "That's just Remus." He glared at me. "Change back," he ordered. I shook my head.  
  
"Do it," he demanded. I stuck out my tongue at him, and Courtney giggled.  
  
"It's okay, Mr. Black, I'm not scared of him," she assured Sirius.   
  
"Okay, now that's over with, what on earth are you doing up?" Sirius asked.  
  
"I couldn't sleep, so I was going to go down to the library and do my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework." She looked down at me and grinned mischievously. "It's about werewolves." Sirius tried to keep a straight face, but after a moment he burst out laughing. I changed back to my usual form and glared at him.  
  
"What is so amusing about werewolves, huh Sirius?" I asked him.  
  
"Nothing," he managed to get out between giggles. "It's just an awful coincidence."  
  
"What's going on?" demanded another voice. Hermione walked over to us, scowling. "Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" I couldn't help it, I cracked up too, and soon Courtney and Hermione had joined in.  
  
"Now what's going on?" Hermione asked, when we'd all recovered from our laughing fits.  
  
"Not much," I said innocently. "We haven't been sleeping much, and we decided to come downstairs and have a good howl." She rolled her eyes.  
  
"That was an awful joke," she told me.   
  
"Wasn't joking," I retorted. I changed back into my wolf form, threw my head back, and howled as loud as I could.  
  
"Oh, stop that howling and change back before I curse you," Hermione said sternly. I winced at her mention of the word `curse', and she looked confused for a second, then remembered Voldemort and his little deal.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said softly. I obediently changed back and shook my head.  
  
"Nah, don't be sorry. It's not your fault."  
  
"What's not her fault?" Courtney asked, interested.  
  
"Never mind," I said hastily. "You'd better go back upstairs."  
  
"But my homework," she wailed.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Severus is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts these days, isn't he?"  
  
"Who?" Courtney asked, looking mystified.  
  
"Professor Snape," Hermione clarified, and Courtney nodded.  
  
"Yes, he is."  
  
"Then I'll just tell him that you didn't do his homework because you had an, er, practical lesson on werewolves."   
  
"Okay, thanks," she said, and went running back upstairs.  
  
"Now, Professor Lupin, I am really sorry for that little slip up. I totally forgot," Hermione said earnestly. I started to tell her to just call me Remus for what had to be the millionth time, then decided it wasn't worth the effort.  
  
"That's okay," I said. "It doesn't matter."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Absolutely. Besides, we haven't got time to argue. It won't be long." I looked out the still open front door, and couldn't suppress a shiver. As I watched, Voldemort came striding toward the door.  
  
"Ready?" he snickered. He was enjoying this.  
  
"Nah, I have a couple things I gotta do," I said coolly. Voldemort looked surprised by my lack of fear. Of course, I was actually terrified, but he didn't need to know that.   
  
"You or Harry," Voldemort reminded me.  
  
"Shut up," I hissed from between clenched teeth. "You think I need reminding? I'll be out in maybe ten minutes, no more." I leaned against the doorframe, trying to sound casual. "Unless of course, you're impatient, then you can just leave." Voldemort gritted his teeth and glared at me, but did nothing else. He knew he wouldn't, and couldn't, walk away. Satisfied, I shut the door in his face, then went back to the staffroom.  
  
"Is it time?" Snape asked, and his voice was shaking a little.   
  
"Yes. Voldemort's outside the door. He's rather impatient. Oh yes, and Courtney won't have her homework. I told her she didn't have to." He nodded slowly, as though he thought I was insane or something, worrying about such a trivial thing as homework at a time like this.   
  
"Well, this is it then," I said hesitantly. "Good-bye." I picked up my wand from the table beside Snape's chair, and headed for the door. After a second, Snape, Draco, Dumbledore, Hermione, Sirius, and Jake followed. I opened the front door to see Voldemort standing there, waiting patiently, or as patiently as a man like him can, anyway.  
  
"Here's your precious Harry," he sneered. Harry was standing behind Voldemort, apparently under a freezing charm.   
  
"Let him go," I said, and my voice sounded stronger than it felt.  
  
"Swear that if I let him go, you'll still come out."  
  
"I swear," I said instantly. Voldemort laughed nastily, but with a wave of his wand, he freed Harry from the spell. He shoved him forward, into the castle, so hard that Harry would've fallen if Sirius hadn't caught him.  
  
"Now keep your word," Voldemort prompted. Before anyone could make a move to stop me, I stepped forward, one step that put me totally under Voldemort's control.   
  
"Very good," Voldemort said wickedly. "I knew you'd do it."  
  
"Remus, no!" Harry screamed, but it was already too late.  
  
"Imperio!" Voldemort called out, pointing his wand at me. Instantly a dreamy, peaceful feeling washed over me.   
  
"Come," Voldemort sneered, walking back toward the main group of his wizards. Automatically I started to follow, but after a few steps another voice had awoken in the back of my mind.  
  
Stupid thing to do, said the voice, and I paused.  
  
"Come," Voldemort said again.  
  
Obey Voldemort? I don't want to, thanks, said the voice, more stubbornly this time.  
  
"Remus!" Voldemort yelled. I took another step forward, and then paused. And in that instant, the curse broke. I pulled back, away from Voldemort, and the peaceful sensation vanished. I was myself again, and I knew exactly what was going on.  
  
"I don't think so, Tom," I said, using Voldemort's hated real name. He glared at me furiously.  
  
"Looks like it's going to take more than that to get you," he observed. "But I'll get you, don't worry about that." He pointed his wand at me and muttered, "Crucio."  
  
The effects were immediate. I collapsed on the ground as pain shot through me. But even as I felt my own will weaken under the influence of Voldemort's spell, I realized I was not alone. I felt the wolf's pain, but also it's fury. Instinctively, I shifted forms, and as I became the wolf, anger gradually outweighed pain. Voldemort looked rather shocked that his spell wasn't having the desired effects. I snarled ferociously, and he backed up a step.   
  
"I didn't want to have to do this yet, but... Avada Kadavra!" If I had been human, I would've died, and even with the wolf's superior reflexes, I barely got out of the way. I lunged for Voldemort, and as he backed up, trying to get out of the way, he tripped and fell. I pounced. I snatched up his wand, and, with him watching every move I made, I snapped it between my massive wolf jaws. Throwing the broken wand aside, I advanced upon Voldemort. Without his precious wand, he suddenly didn't look so confident.   
  
"Remus, don't!" said a voice behind me. I turned to see Harry coming up behind me. Voldemort started to get to his feet, then, when I turned back around and snarled at him, he decided he'd stay where he was. As Harry approached, I flattened my ears back and growled.  
  
"Moony!" he scolded, shocked by my reaction. He knelt beside me and picked up the broken pieces of Voldemort's wand. I growled again, unwilling to let Harry anywhere near Voldemort.   
  
"Remus, let it go," Harry soothed. Finally, I gave up and changed back to my human form.  
  
"That was so cool!" Sirius said enthusiastically. "Beyond cool!" Jake, Dumbledore, Hermione, Sirius, Draco, and Snape came running over. Dumbledore put a freezing spell on Voldemort, and stood guard over him while we talked. All of sudden, though, I knew there was something wrong. I couldn't say what it was, but it was definitely there. I looked around for a minute or two before it hit me: Voldemort's wizards weren't were they'd been before! I didn't even have time to call out a warning before they struck.   
  
"Get back inside!" I yelled. "I'll hold `em off!" Everyone scrambled for the relative safety of Hogwarts castle. Dumbledore and Snape went last, taking Voldemort with them. I changed back into my wolf form and carefully guarded Albus and Severus as they pulled Voldemort inside the castle. I backed in after them. That's when I saw our mistake. By dragging Voldemort inside the castle, we'd basically invited him in, which meant that if he got away from us, he could invite in the rest of his horde. Which, I realized suddenly, was what they'd been after all along.   
  
Dumbledore slammed the door shut and turned to Voldemort, who appeared to be unconscious on the floor. Dumbledore lightly tapped Tom with his wand, and Voldemort, in one swift movement, had snatched Albus' wand out of his hand.  
  
"Freeze, or he gets it," Voldemort hissed. I stared at him, and he laughed cruelly.   
  
"Change back into your usual form, Remus," he ordered. Reluctantly I did as he commanded. Voldemort started pacing across the room, keeping the wand pointing   
straight at me. "I hate being beaten by a werewolf. I hate being beaten by a traitor even worse. So Remus, it looks like you're out of luck."  
  
"How do you figure that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level.  
  
"I'm pointing this wand right at you, and if you so much as sneeze, I'll curse you faster than you could say Voldemort."  
  
"Do I look scared?"  
  
"You should be."  
  
"Maybe, maybe not. You see, you made a vital error in what you just said."  
  
"What would that be?"  
  
"You should never threaten me directly. I really don't care."  
  
"You're bluffing."  
  
"Want to find out?" I changed into my wolf form and slowly started toward him. Despite himself, he started backing up.   
  
"One more step," he threatened. I took a step. "One more step and I'll..."  
  
"You'll what?" Sirius asked, enjoying this. Of course, all good things come to an end. When I was no more than three strides from him, Voldemort mumbled a spell. The last thing I remembered was listening once more to the cruel laughter that haunted my dreams.  
............................................................................................................................................  
  
  



	8. Default Chapter Title

I woke to silence. I realized with a start that I was still the wolf, but I could use that to my advantage. Without opening my eyes, I listened carefully for anything I might care to know. After a few minutes, when I still didn't hear anything, I finally opened my eyes and looked around. I was obviously in the hospital wing, but that didn't really tell me much. If Voldemort had won, he might have his own reasons, most of them distinctly unpleasant, for keeping me in one piece.   
  
After a minute, I jumped off the bed and walked over to the door. I briefly considered changing back to my human form, then decided that I could move faster and quieter in my wolf form. I turned the doorknob with one paw, then headed down the hallway. I stopped outside the staffroom and listened carefully.  
  
"He'll be okay, I think," said Madam Pomfrey. "I am concerned that he hasn't woken up yet, though."  
  
"He'll be okay," Sirius assured her. "You couldn't kill him if you tried."  
  
"Which Voldemort certainly did," Harry remarked. The door was open, and I walked in.   
  
"Remus," Snape said, sounding startled. "You shouldn't be out of bed!" I changed back to my usual form and grinned at him.  
  
"Why not? I feel perfectly fine. So what happened? You won, apparently, but what exactly happened?"  
  
"Harry happened," Severus said simply. "Voldemort's gone for good this time."  
  
"And his wizards?"  
  
"Most were under the Imperius Curse, but the remainder was taken away by the Ministry."   
  
"Which means you can stop playing the hero," Harry added.   
  
"Look who's talking!" I exclaimed.  
  
"You know, he's got a point," Sirius said thoughtfully.  
  
"Well, I'll quit if Remus will."   
  
"Quit being heroic?" I asked with a grin. "Never! These people have no respect for us conquering heroes do they, Harry?"  
  
"'Course not," Harry said, playing along. "They have no idea how hard it is to act heroic!" I tried to keep a straight face, but failed miserably. I started laughing, and everyone else joined in.  
  
"So Voldemort's gone for good?" I asked, after I got over my laughing fit.  
  
"Yeah. Feels good, doesn't it? Not having to worry about Voldemort all the time?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Hey, I forgot to mention this before, but I have a little secret to tell you guys," Harry remarked offhandedly. "Me and Hermione and Ron ran across the directions for the animagus potion once. We're all animagi." Sirius and I exchanged shocked looks, then we both broke out laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?" Harry demanded, sounding hurt.  
  
"It's nothing like that," I assured him. "It's just funny, I mean, like father, like son."  
  
"Yeah, it is kind of funny," Harry admitted. "Why I mentioned it, though, was that I was wondering if you'd want to go for a run. Hermione and Ron are sleeping, and I don't know of anyone else who would be able to keep up with the animal I am."  
  
"Sure, we want to go," Sirius said eagerly. "It'll be like old times, won't it, Remus?"  
  
"Yep. Just like `em. Let's go!" Sirius and I shifted into our animagus forms and waited for Harry to change as well. When he did, it was shocking, and seemed even more so because it shouldn't have been surprising. Harry's animal form was a huge white stag.   
  
Just then Ron and Hermione came running in, and they too changed into their animal forms. Hermione, as an owl, and Ron, as a rat. We looked at each other, and realization was on every face. Stag, rat, dog, and wolf. The way it had always been. Hermione fluttered up onto Harry's back, and Ron settled down between my massive forepaws. I tipped my head back and howled, with Padfoot not far behind. Ron started squeaking, and Hermione hooted happily. Harry just stood there, laughing the way animals do, with their eyes. And as I looked at him, I think I really realized, for the first time, how much like his father he truly was.  
  
"Oh, no! They're back!" Snape howled.   
  
"You got that right," Dumbledore said from the doorway. "And this time, they're back to stay."  
  
  
Author's note:  
  
Okay, if you actually read all this series, and if you care, there'll be another series after this one. Actually, it's a four part chronicle -   
  
Moony Forever (the first one, all one story- the rest will be series- and there's an epilogue of sorts to that one, called A Chance of Forgiveness)  
  
All They Ever Wanted (the second one, that wound up eight parts long *groans*)  
  
Second Chances (this one's next, not as long as ATEW, but long enough)  
  
Child of Light, Prince of Darkness (this one's definitely the longest - 72 pages long when you double-space it)  
  
Oh, and if anyone actually read all this, let me know in your review, if you don't mind.  
  
  



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